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The San Ramon Planning Commission is set for a third public hearing on a proposed senior housing facility that would incorporate the longstanding, and long-discussed, El Nido house that has sat on the property for more than 100 years.
At their next regular meeting this Tuesday, commissioners are set to hear from staff and members of the public on the overall project at 19251 San Ramon Valley Blvd., as well as the application process. One key aspect of this is a specific plan amendment to the city’s Westside Specific Plan, which would change the zoning of the property from “park” to “residential.”
The public hearing comes following two previous meetings centered on the proposed project in recent months. Earlier this month, the city released the findings of a draft study on the controversial development that would be set to break ground this April if approved. The study’s findings support a “mitigated negative declaration,” with no significant, unmitigated environmental impacts found by the proposed project and mitigation measures.
The El Nido Senior Assisted Living project would consist of an 84-bed residential care facility for seniors on the 0.7-acre lot, including administrative, healthcare and parking facilities.
If approved, construction would be set to begin this April, and completed within 12 months, according to the application.
The proposed development has been the center of much debate, most recently at a joint informational meeting with the City Council and Planning Commission in December, and during subsequent discussions at the Planning Commission meeting in January. Previously, the Harlan House itself had been the subject of public attention during a proposal to move the house to a different property that failed to move forward.
The applicant, San Ramon resident Solhail Siddiqi, has cited numerous meetings with community members and efforts to address concerns and feedback about environmental, aesthetic and historical concerns, with numerous commenters speaking in favor of the proposal.
Others continued to raise concerns over the project’s location in particular, including some residents in the neighborhood surrounding the property, who point to concerns with parking, traffic and safety raised by the prospect of the facility’s construction and operation.
In particular, a group of neighbors in the surrounding area has been calling on the city to maintain the property’s “park” zoning, and work toward converting it into a real park and gathering area, with outdoor recreation facilities.
“The current designation for this land is still a ‘park’, and the city is trying to change this at the behest of the new property owner/developer. We are fighting to preserve this green space and keep the “park” designation,” according to a statement from the neighborhood group led by Iqbal Rashid, Brijith Vijayan, Antony D’Angelus, Harry Georgiades, Sandeep Bhatnagar, Rajesh Shah and Sandeep Dhakras.
No decisions are set to be made on the proposed project in the upcoming meeting, with staff hoping instead to gain insight from discussions, and further direction from commissioners.
The San Ramon Planning Commission’s regular meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 15) via Zoom. The agenda is available here.
In other business
Commissioners are set for a study session in a special joint meeting earlier Tuesday with the Housing Advisory Committee.
Commissioners and HAC members will discuss the city’s existing trends and conditions workbook, Housing Element adoption schedule and housing site inventory, with an eye toward updating the city’s General Plan to reflect current housing needs, trends and state mandates.
